


The Tuesday Night Crowd

by DisasterCat



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Catra and Adora are dramatic, F/F, Fluff, Karaoke, Netossa is not putting up with anyone's shit, Trans Bow (She-Ra), and Netossa is not having it, angst-free zone, neurodivergent Entrapta
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-30
Updated: 2019-06-29
Packaged: 2020-03-29 15:46:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19022986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DisasterCat/pseuds/DisasterCat
Summary: A She-Ra karaoke bar AU because why not?Netossa and her wife Spinnerella own a karaoke bar.When tensions start brewing among their Tuesday-night regulars, the drama threatens to disrupt the perfect balance of Netossa's life. She and Spinnerella will have to figure out a way to bring everyone back together.'For the life of her, Netossa couldn’t understand how these kids tolerated so much damn drama in their lives. Instead of preparing to enjoy their usual Tuesday night drunken-singing-sometimes-therapeutic karaoke session, it looked like they were ready to tear each other apart, and they hadn’t even started drinking yet.'





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I got depressed writing the second part of Infinity Mirror (which is so damn long btw), and this came out of me. Please accept this fluff as penance for everything I have done and am about to do in that series.  
> I am of the sincere opinion that we could all use more Spinnetossa - they're so wholesome.  
> Also this is an angst-free zone. Netossa's rules, not mine.

Dusk was settling across the city, and Netossa watched, one eyebrow raised, as Spinnerella plugged in their neon sign. In the gathering gloom, “Etheria Karaoke Bar and Grill” sputtered out bright blue and pink letters onto the street.

“We really need to get a new sign,” Netossa said, for what must’ve been the thousandth time over the years since they’d opened. “There’s no Grill. There never was a Grill. Why is it even on there in the first place? Also, what kind of karaoke bar also has a grill? Or is it like a karaoke grill? What the hell would that even be?”

Spinnerella sighed. “I don’t know, darling.” Netossa winced. Spinnerella only called her ‘darling’ when she was being a grump and Spinnerella was trying to be extra nice to get her to snap out of it. Netossa went to put an arm around her wife.

“Sorry, babe. I guess I’m a little keyed up. The Tuesday night crowd has been… well, there’s been some tension, these last few weeks. I guess I’m kind of dreading them tonight.”

“Yeah I noticed that, too. There certainly seem to be… factions forming?”

“Definitely. It feels like the lead-up to a war or something.”

“Do we know what’s causing it?”

Netossa absently rubbed circles onto Spinnerella’s shoulder with her thumb. “Not sure. But it seems to revolve around that couple… you know the ones… Catra and Adora. Or She-Ra or whatever.”

“I wonder what happened.”

Netossa snorted. “Hell, like I know these kids’ lives? I don’t even know their real names! Just the ridiculous ones they write down on their song requests.”

“Hmmm,” hummed Spinnerella in that way she did when she disagreed, completely and utterly, with Netossa.

“What?”

“You know _a lot_ about those kids’ lives. You’re kind of like their therapist, except instead of using Gestalt you use 80’s power ballads... or maybe that is like Gestalt therapy?” She nudged Netossa. “I was too busy making out with you in college to actually learn anything in that psychology class.”

Netossa chuckled. “Which is why you ended up running a dive bar with me instead of becoming a doctor or a lawyer or something.”

Spinnerella tucked her head onto Netossa’s shoulder and caught one of her hands, twining their fingers together. “I wouldn’t trade this life for anything.”

They enjoyed a quiet, uncomplicated moment together.

“Are you _sure_ you don’t know what’s upsetting the Tuesday night regulars?” asked Spinnerella, finally. “They’re some of our best customers – it’d be a shame if they stopped coming here. Besides, they’re good kids.”

“Ugh. Fine. Based on their song selections, I think those two – Catra and Adora – are going through a pretty messy break-up.” She put a hand up to stop Spinnerella asking her next question. “No, I don’t know why. And I don’t care. Not my business.”

Spinnerella unwound herself from under Netossa’s arm. “Speaking of kids, Entrapta will probably be here soon.”

“You’re right. I’ll go set up the booth.”

Netossa made her way to the large back room that was fitted with a small platform stage and an enclosed area for the DJ or karaoke emcee. To her surprise, Entrapta was already in the DJ booth, fiddling with wires.

“Uh… hey there, E.”

Entrapta did not look up from the wires. “Hello!”

“…How’d you get in? We haven’t unlocked the front door, yet.”

“Oh I have other ways of getting in. Sorry I didn’t let you know I was here. I wanted to say hello to Emily, first.”

“Emily?”

Spinnerella passed by with a box from the storeroom, “I think she’s named the computer system, dear,” she whispered.

“Oh. Right. Sure. Carry on then, I guess.”

It had taken months for Netossa to trust Entrapta alone with the karaoke equipment. Entrapta, after all, did not actually work for the bar. She was, in fact, one of the Tuesday night regulars who came over from the university nearby. One week, Netossa had returned from a trip to the bathroom to find Entrapta entering other bar-goers’ requests into the computer system. Netossa had nearly freaked, but quickly realized that the girl actually seemed to know what she was doing.

Entrapta was a kid who took a little getting used to, certainly, but she really grew on you after a while. When Spinnerella and Netossa realized that Entrapta got easily overwhelmed by the loud atmosphere in the back room, they started letting her sit in the enclosed DJ booth. That way, she still got to participate in the karaoke fun, but had a buffer between her and all the drunken, singing idiots.

Spinnerella must have unlocked the front door. The rest of the Tuesday night regulars were trickling in. First came Adora—or She-Ra or whatever name she was using now. She had started writing the new name on her song request slips a few weeks ago around the same time all the tension started building among the Tuesday night crowd. Apart from the tension, Netossa didn’t mind one bit. It meant there were less ‘Adora-ble’ puns going around. She-Ra walked with purpose and determination to a table at stage right. She moved liked a general executing a battle plan.

Next came Catra. She sauntered into the back room and plopped herself down at stage left, placing her feet up on a chair next to her. She smirked across at She-Ra. “Hey Adora,” she crooned. She-Ra ignored her.

As the rest of the Tuesday night crowd filtered in, Netossa grabbed a mic and motioned to Entrapta to start her song for the sound check.

_“Looking in your eyes I see a paradise. This world that I found is too good to be true. Standing here beside you, want so much to give you this love in my heart that I’m feeling for you.”_

She held out the second mic to Spinnerella as she passed with a bottle of bourbon in her hand. Spinnerella rolled her eyes but took the mic and stepped onstage with her wife. The moment she started singing in her high, clear voice, Spinnerella committed herself fully to the music, flipping her hair dramatically and holding her hand out to Netossa.

_“Let ’em say we’re crazy. I don’t care about that. Put your hand in my hand baby don’t ever look back. Let the world around us just fall apart. Baby we can make it if we’re heart to heart.”_

Netossa trusted that Entrapta would adjust the sound levels without her as the bar faded away and she lost herself in the moment, holding her wife’s hand and twirling her in close as they took the chorus together:

_“And we can build this thing together, standing strong forever – nothing’s gonna stop us now. And if this world runs out of lovers, we’ll still have each other. Nothing’s gonna stop us… Nothing’s gonna stop us now.”_

Netossa loved her wife.

Netossa loved her job.

Netossa loved working with her wife in their weird karaoke bar and grill with no grill.

Spinnerella gave her a peck on the cheek as the song ended, picked up the bottle of bourbon she’d placed behind her on the stage for safekeeping, and headed back to the bar.

Netossa quickly surveyed the crowd that had gathered in the back room. There were Glimmer and Bow with their first mojitos of the night sitting stoically at She-Ra’s table. Mermista, Perfuma, and Sea Hawk had taken up positions at the table next to them. Scorpia had plonked herself down by Catra with a round of beers, and Kyle, Lonnie, and Rogelio – who all stood out in this crowd for having picked the lamest possible karaoke names in a cohort of people who _lived_ for weird names – were ranged behind them. The groups stage left and right glared at each other.

Factions had definitely formed.

For the life of her, Netossa couldn’t understand how these kids tolerated so much damn drama in their lives. Instead of preparing to enjoy their usual Tuesday night drunken-singing-sometimes-therapeutic karaoke session, it looked like they were ready to tear each other apart, and they hadn’t even started drinking yet.

“Alrighty…” They all reluctantly stopped staring murderously at each other to give Netossa their full attention. “Welcome everybody, good to see you all back…” Somebody coughed in the awkward silence. Usually these kids were a little more animated. “Anyway, Entrapta’s gonna start us off, as always. Be sure to get your requests in over at the booth.”

She traded places with Entrapta, and started the music.

It was Tuesday night tradition that Entrapta always sang first. She had a repertoire of precisely one song: David Bowie’s “Space Oddity,” which she sang exactly as written, never adding any embellishments or personal touches. She always stood in the same position, both hands solidly clutching the mic while she stared intently at the lyrics (even though Netossa _knew_ she had every word memorized) as they scrolled across the screen situated on the wall opposite the stage, framed by gay and trans pride flags. Entrapta’s song was like the national anthem before a football game for this crowd, and everyone listened respectfully to the end of her performance.

Just about the time Major Tom was daring to step out of his capsule, Spinnerella stopped by the booth with a beer for Netossa in one hand and at least a dozen request slips in the other.

Netossa took the beer gratefully and gave her wife a quick kiss. “Babe, you know you don’t have to take their slips. They’re supposed to bring them up here themselves.”

“It just seemed faster this way. Besides, no one wanted to interrupt Entrapta’s song.”

Netossa sighed and started sorting the slips.

_Perfuma – California Dreamin’ – The Mamas & The Papas_

That was pretty much par for the course.

Bow was requesting a Disney song, as per usual. Scorpia wanted ABBA. Mermista had selected some hardcore gangsta rap, which, Netossa knew from experience, she would deliver, word for word, completely deadpan. Sea Hawk was asking for some obscure sea shanty that she definitely _didn’t_ have a track for.

Netossa looked down at a request slip marred with heavy black marker smudged from what she could only assume was a sweaty beer bottle.

_Catra – Behind Blue Eyes – The Who_

“Ugh, this girl and her angst are going to kill me.”

And apparently the factions had found names for themselves, as there were at least two request slips each that simply read “The Horde” or “The Rebellion” next to the song and artist. Based on the handwriting, Netossa guessed that The Horde was Catra’s group, and The Rebellion was She-Ra’s.

Entrapta finished her song, and, as always, the entire Tuesday night crowd applauded as she made her way back to the booth. It was nice, she guessed, to see that even with whatever squabble was brewing between “the Horde” and “the Rebellion,” no one seemed inclined to force Entrapta to pick a side.

Netossa leaned over to the mic they kept in the booth and called the next song.

“Next up, we have Scorpia. Go get ‘em, big gal.”

Somehow, Scorpia managed to look surprised and excited every time Netossa called her name for a song. Even though she must have known her name was going to be called eventually, she reacted as though she had just been called out of the audience on a game show to win a car or something. She practically skipped up onto the stage, which was an interesting sight considering the girl’s enormous, muscular frame.

“Oh gosh. OK.” She stuttered into the mic as the intro started playing. “I want to dedicate this song to my very best friend in the whole world – Catra! She’s been having kind of a rough time lately, so…”

Catra hunkered down in her seat and nursed her beer, looking embarrassed as Scorpia began to sing (with more enthusiasm than skill).

_“Chiquitita tell me what’s wrong. You’re enchained by your own sorrow. In your eyes there is no hope for tomorrow.”_

Netossa handed off the request slips to Entrapta in the order she wanted them entered into the computer.

_“Chiquitita tell me the truth. I’m a shoulder you can cry on. Your best friend, I’m the one you must rely on…”_

Netossa missed most of the rest of the song, as she had to argue with Glimmer – _again_ – about the available selection of Megadeth songs, which was one, and the number of times Netossa would let Glimmer sing it in a single night, which was also one.

As the girl retreated back to her mojito in a huff, Netossa had Entrapta move Glimmer’s request to the end of the queue, because this was Netossa’s bar and she could do whatever she damn well pleased. She probably wouldn’t tell Spinnerella about it, though. She hated it when her wife gave her disapproving looks.

Scorpia returned to her seat amid a scattering of applause, and Bow took her place onstage after his name was called. Netossa couldn’t help but smile as he started to sing. She had a soft spot for Bow – sue her. He had sung karaoke at Etheria all during his transition, asking Netossa for song recommendations that would accommodate his changing voice when he started taking hormones. Netossa knew Bow was proud of his voice, and that every karaoke song was important to him.

Which is why all of this angsty drama in her karaoke bar really pissed Netossa off. People like Bow and Entrapta were here just trying to have a good time and express themselves, but that got ruined by all the passive aggressive bullshit from people like…

“Next up is Catra.” Netossa did a very bad job of disguising the annoyance in her voice.

Catra grabbed a tall stool from a back corner of the stage and lounged on it, taking the mic from its stand and eyeing the rest of the people in the bar defiantly like the cocky little shit she was.

_“No one knows what it’s like to be the bad man, to be the sad man behind blue eyes. No one knows what it’s like to be hated…”_

At least she had a nice voice, even if she did use it for evil now. Netossa never thought she’d miss the days when Catra and Adora would sing nothing but sappy duets. Hell, at this point, she even missed the period when Catra had insisted they only sing Latin love songs, and Adora, trying her best, had butchered both the Spanish and the melodies.  

_“No one knows what it’s like to feel these feelings like I do… and I blame YOU!”_

Netossa retreated further into the booth and groaned aloud as Catra stood from the stool and started singing directly at Adora.

_“But my dreams they aren’t as empty as my conscience seems to be. I have hours only lonely – my love is vengeance that’s never free.”_

Finally – _finally_ – Catra’s angst-ridden songologue was over, and she went back to her beer as the Horde side of the room erupted in cheers. Scorpia clapped her hard on the back as she sat down.

Netossa rubbed her eyes and tried to work some enthusiasm back into her voice as she called the next singer. “OK… Next on the stage let’s have…” She glanced at the screen.

Crap.

“…She-Ra.”

How had she accidentally put those two back-to-back?

She looked more closely at the screen to see what song was up.

_I Will Survive – Gloria Gaynor_

CRAP.

Not only was Adora – She-Ra, whatever – singing right after her angry ex-girlfriend, she was going to sing the quintessential post-breakup empowerment song. And the real kicker? Adora was objectively one of the worst singers Netossa had ever heard – rhythm and pitch were foreign concepts to this girl.

This was going to be _terrible._

On so many levels.

Spinnerella came to the booth as Adora climbed onstage, nervously flipping her long hair (which she had only recently started wearing free of its usual high ponytail) and fiddling with the mic. “Darling,” Spinnerella sounded nervous, “what’s going on right now?”

Netossa was paralyzed with the horror that the next four minutes were about to bring. “I honestly don’t know how I let this happen.”

_“At first I was afraid. I was petrified…”_

Not even close to the right key.

_“Kept thinking I could never live without you by my side. But then I spent so many nights thinking how you did me wrong…”_

Lonnie booed, and Scorpia looked incredibly uncomfortable as Catra stiffened in her seat and called over the music, “What the hell, Adora?”

“Hey, let her sing!” yelled someone from the Rebellion side.

Things were escalating. Someone from the Horde side started throwing crumpled napkins towards the stage.

_“Weren’t you the one who tried to hurt me with goodbye? Did you think I’d crumble? Did you think I’d lay down and die?”_

Catra slammed her beer down and marched towards the stage. “That’s rich coming from you – _you’re_ the one who left!”

Adora stepped away from the mic and started yelling, too, letting the karaoke track run forgotten in the background of the increasing chaos. “No, I didn’t! You’re just overreacting like you always do! I _told_ you—”

Now members of both the Horde and the Rebellion were throwing napkins and insults at each other.

“This is getting out of hand.” Spinnerella left the booth to calm everybody down.

Glimmer had joined Adora and Catra at the front of the stage, and Netossa could barely make out their argument over the karaoke track that she was still too shocked to tell Entrapta to turn off and the cacophony of the crowd.

“…and leave her alone! Why can’t you let it go?”

“Why can’t you stop being such a b—”

Time seemed to slow as Glimmer threw her mojito into Catra’s face. Catra managed dodge just in time…

…for the drink to cascade over Spinnerella, who had just reached them.

Oh _hell_ no.

“Entrapta turn that off, _now._ ” Netossa grabbed her mic from its stand and stomped into the fray. “That’s _it!_ Everybody out!” The mic squealed, and everyone paused to stare at her. “You heard me – get out of my bar, NOW!” She pointed forcefully to the door. “Work out your issues somewhere else this week – Etheria is an angst-free zone!” The Tuesday night crowd sheepishly dropped their fighting poses and started to gather up their belongings. Glimmer, Adora, and Catra were all still glaring at each other by Spinnerella. Netossa directed her attention directly at them. “Did I stutter?” They jumped. “Out, out, OUT!”

The bar cleared pretty quickly after that.

Netossa locked the front door with a satisfying _click_ and ripped the neon sign’s electrical cord out of the socket, throwing the college students milling on the sidewalk outside into darkness.

“Damn kids and their drama,” she muttered.

“That was eventful,” said Spinnerella, wiping her face with a towel from behind the bar.

“Sorry about that.” Netossa picked a sprig of mint out of her wife’s hair. “Things spiraled out of control _way_ faster than I thought they could.” She stepped behind the bar and started mixing a gin and tonic for Spinnerella.

“Those kids are usually so much fun.”

Netossa grunted in half-hearted agreement. Their hardcore, committed karaoke-goers were certainly a unique bunch, and, if she was being honest, she didn’t really want them to stop singing at her bar, especially over the fallout of one couple’s breakup.

She placed the gin and tonic in front of Spinnerella, who sipped it appreciatively. “At least we kicked them out before they could make me play ‘Don’t Stop Believin.’”

“Why do you hate that song so much?”

Netossa chuckled. “I’ve explained this to you before – I don’t hate that song. It’s an excellent song. What I hate is a bunch of drunk college students butchering it every Tuesday night.”

“I’m sorry, dear.”

“Hazard of the job, I guess.” Netossa sighed.

“What are we going to do about next week?”

Netossa tapped her fingers on the bar and thought about it, slowing the rhythm as she had an idea.

“Remember earlier how you said I was like a therapist with power ballads?”

“…Yes?”

“I may have a plan.”

**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get ready for a very cathartic karaoke battle.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spinnetossa! Is! So! Pure!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Infinity Mirror is back on its angsty gay shit again, so I figured I should probably finish out this penance-fluff.   
> Thank you to the folks who left all those nice comments on the first chapter - this has been super fun to write, and I'm glad you found this concept as entertaining as I did.  
> Please accept this end-of-pride present.

_\- One Week Later –_

The Tuesday night crowd was getting restless. Both factions sat, mumbling, on their respective sides of the stage, nursing their first drinks of the night as they waited impatiently for Netossa to get things started.

Spinnerella made her way to where Netossa stood tapping one foot with her arms crossed in the emcee booth. She put a hand to Netossa’s arm. “Is everything OK? You’re a bit late starting.”

“Well,” Netossa said through gritted teeth, “I can’t really start until the Queen of Angsty Feels shows up. The only possible way my plan can work is if _everybody’s_ here.” So far, everyone was accounted for except Catra. Grimacing, Netossa leaned over to her mic. “Just hang tight, everybody – we’re dealing with a couple of technical issues.” Somebody groaned, and a couple of people got up to head for the bathroom.

“There are no technical issues,” piped Entrapta from behind them. “Emily appears to have full functionality, and I’ve re-programmed all of the lyrics screens to accommodate multiple singers, just as you requested.”

Spinnerella’s hand tightened on her wife’s arm as Netossa pressed an exasperated sigh through flared nostrils. “She knows, Entrapta. She’s just telling them that so they’ll wait a bit more patiently.”

“Oooooh. Is this part of the social experiment? I wasn’t aware it had started yet – I haven’t been recording any notes!”

Netossa couldn’t help but smile a bit at that. “No, E. The ‘social experiment’ hasn’t started yet. We’re waiting on…” Catra sauntered into the back room and draped herself dramatically over a chair. “Her. We were waiting on her.”

Spinnerella gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “I’ll go make sure everybody’s got drinks. Good luck.”

“Thanks, babe.” Netossa took a deep breath as Spinnerella left the booth. She brought her mic closer after making sure everyone in the crowd was present in the back room. “OK, everybody, we’re ready to get started.”

“Finally,” said some wise-ass from the back (probably Lonnie).

Adora/She-Ra sat up very straight in her chair and raised her hand high like a kid in elementary school.

“Um…” Netossa pointed to her. “Yes – what?”

The tall blonde cleared her throat. “Uh, yeah, there weren’t any request slips out on the tables tonight… so…”

“Yes. I was just about to explain that.”

Netossa ignored Catra as she muttered, snickering, “Jesus, Adora, _chill_.”

“We’re doing things a little differently tonight. Since you folks are all regulars, we decided to throw a little impromptu event for you. We thought it might be fun, instead of having song requests like always, for me to pull your names from this cup…” She held up her favorite coffee mug – black with a thick ribbon of rainbow emblazoned across it. “And whoever gets called sings whatever song is up next in the queue. All the pairings will be totally random.”

They would not be totally random. Netossa had spent the entire week carefully curating a playlist and deciding which names she would call for each song.

The Tuesday night crowd stared at her. “Who knows?” she continued, “You might find a new favorite karaoke song tonight. Or find a new song partner.”

“I don’t know about this.” Glimmer – _of course_ _Glimmer_ – complained, with her face scrunched up.

“But…” Netossa waived a square of bright orange paper over her head. “Whoever gives the best performance gets a drink voucher worth fifty bucks.”

That at least seemed to appease Glimmer. Catra also looked more interested, now that there was the added element of competition.

But Netossa may have misjudged the incentive. Adora, looking uncomfortable and nervous, had opened her phone to what looked like the Lyft app. Mermista had already grabbed her purse and was headed towards the door, and it looked like a couple of people on the Horde side of the room were fixing to do the same thing.

Netossa started to panic. She’d thought the voucher would be enough to keep people interested. She hadn’t been exaggerating when she’d said her plan wouldn’t work unless everybody participated. This night was going to be a total bust if those kids walked out of the bar, which meant that Netossa would have wasted hours out of her week preparing for this now totally pointless exercise. This is what she got for trying to do nice things for asshole college students.

“What my lovely wife forgot to mention…” And there was Spinnerella, like some beautiful knight in shining armor come to save Netossa from her self-induced panic, twisting one of the stage mics down so that her soft voice was amplified throughout the back room, “…is that if everyone participates in tonight’s event, we’re offering you regulars an open bar.”

Everybody froze.

“That’s right,” said Spinnerella to the silent room. “Starting right now, all of your drinks tonight are completely free of charge – provided every single one of you stays here and participates for the entire event.” Spinnerella narrowed her eyes at the crowd, her voice going uncharacteristically steely. “If anyone leaves early or doesn’t participate, everybody pays full price.”

Everybody on the Horde side shot a look at the Rebellion.

Everybody on the Rebellion side shot a look back.

Everybody wanted free drinks.

Nobody wanted to be the reason the open bar was cancelled.

They all sat back down.

Spinnerella was a damn genius, and Netossa thought, if possible, she loved her even more than she had ten minutes ago.

Catra swung one leg over her chairback. “So, when do we start?”

Spinnerella was still at the mic. “Everybody come to the bar for your first round while Netossa gets everything set up for the random selection process.”

Netossa caught Spinnerella in the midst of the stampede towards the bar. “Are you sure about this?” she whispered.

Netossa was and had always been notoriously bad with money. Of the two of them, Spinnerella had the head for business. Netossa would have run this bar – her dream since before she’d even met Spinnerella – into the ground years ago if her wife hadn’t been handling their finances.

But even Netossa knew that one whole night of giving out unlimited free alcohol to college students was financially risky.

Spinnerella took her hand reassuringly. “Yes, I’m sure. I trust you – this plan of yours will work, and we’ll make the money back because these kids will keep coming here after tonight.” She raised Netossa’s hand to her lips and gave it a gentle kiss. “They’ll come back because they’ll realize – one way or another – that you care about them.” Netossa looked away, abashed, and Spinnerella gave her hand a squeeze. “You can do this. I believe in you.”

“You’re the best, babe.”

Spinnerella shot her a smile as she headed to deal with the crowd at the bar. “I know.”

Soon enough, the kids were all settled back into their seats, happily downing their free drinks. Netossa hoped they had still tipped.

She turned to the girl next to her in the booth. “You ready, E?”

Entrapta stood, took a deep breath, and squared her shoulders. “I believe so.”

“You’re gonna be great. I know it.” Entrapta nodded stiffly and walked out to the stage.

“OK everybody let’s get started! Entrapta has graciously agreed to go first, and she’s going to sing a new song tonight.” That definitely got people’s attention. “She did pick this one out – and she’s the only who gets to choose a song tonight, by the way, but I will randomly select a couple of people to help her out on the chorus.” She fished two slips of paper out of her mug and pretended to read them. “Glimmer and Sea Hawk, why don’t you come up here and join Entrapta on the stage?” Netossa had let Entrapta pick her own backup singers, as well as her song, and the girl had insisted on those two. Netossa had to agree – the song seemed to fit them.

Glimmer and Sea Hawk looked nervous. “Don’t worry.” Netossa grinned at them. “I think you’re gonna like this one.” She went to the booth, waited until Entrapta had taken her customary stance with both hands clutching the mic, and started the music. A few people laughed and started bopping their heads as the first chords began.

Entrapta closed her eyes, not even looking at the lyrics screen tonight, and sang with gusto.

_“Harry Truman, Doris Day, Red China, Johnnie Ray, South Pacific, Walter Winchell, Joe DiMaggio…”_

Glimmer and Sea Hawk shifted so that they could share the other microphone for the chorus.

_“We didn’t start the fire. It was always burnin’ since the world’s been turnin’. We didn’t start the fire. No we didn’t light it but we tried to fight it…”_

By the time the trio finished the song, everyone had visibly relaxed.

Netossa did an honest-to-god random pairing next, just so nobody caught on to her scheme. Perfuma and Lonnie sang “Love Is a Battlefield,” and it was just as awkward and confusing as Netossa expected it to be when she called their names. It’s not that they sounded _bad,_ per se, but Lonnie was a little too forceful with some of the lyrics, and Perfuma wasn’t forceful enough.

Netossa rolled her eyes as she caught Adora and Catra shooting each other angsty glares every time Lonnie and Perfuma sang the line “love is a battlefield.”

Hopefully they’d be cured of that before the night was over.

Netossa grinned evilly as she called the next singers to the stage.

“Glimmer and Catra, step right on up.” The two girls marched standoffishly to the stage, each narrowing her eyes at the other as they took a mic. Netossa was immensely gratified as both of them stiffened when they heard the first jangling, orchestral chord of their song.

Netossa was inflicting the worst possible musical punishment on these two wannabe-badass punks who had been a constant thorn in her side for the past month.

She was making them sing _musical theater._

With a quick glance towards Catra, Glimmer took the first line, scowling intensely.

_“What is this feeling, so sudden and new?”_

Catra matched Glimmer scowl for scowl.

_“I felt the moment I laid eyes on you?”_

They both tried to play as if they didn’t know the song, but they came in with just a little too much confidence to convince Netossa they didn’t actually have it memorized.

_“What is this feeling? Fervid as a flame… Does it have a name? Yes…”_

Netossa raised an eyebrow. They even sang the harmony.

_“Loathing! Unadulterated loathing!”_

She couldn’t help it if this was the perfect song for them. If it also happened to expose the both of them as closet theater nerds, so much the better.

_“Though I do admit it came on fast, still I do believe that it can last – and I will be loathing, loathing you my whole life long!”_

As the song finished, both Glimmer and Catra practically _ran_ away from the mics back to their seats, not making eye contact with any of their friends and trying to put forth the air of cooler-than-thou tough girls who had never secretly belted show tunes alone in the shower.

“Well,” Netossa drawled into her own microphone, catching Spinnerella grinning as she cleared some empty beer bottles from one of the tables, “I think that was informative for everyone. Let’s see who’s next.”

She pretended to pull names out of her mug on the desk behind her, then called Bow and Scorpia. Both of them seemed excited to get on the stage, and they immediately put aside whatever differences the rest of their respective groups had with each other to become best song buddies, which is exactly what Netossa had expected them to do, and exactly why she had picked “You’ve Got a Friend In Me” for them to sing together.

The rest of the Tuesday night crowd, regardless of ‘affiliation’ couldn’t help but grin at the two of them singing their hearts out. When the song was over, just before they rejoined their faction, Bow and Scorpia gave each other a double hi-five, and Netossa was pretty sure she heard one or both of them say something along the lines of “Super Singing Duo, aw yeah!”

The look of happy surprise on Scorpia’s face as she was called to the stage again immediately was priceless. Adora – She-Ra – _whoever_ – joined her there, flipping her hair nervously.

“Alright everybody,” Netossa crooned into her mic, “Get ready for a karaoke classic.” Scorpia gasped with excitement and Adora made a strangled sound at the back of her throat as they saw the title flash on the lyrics screen – “I’ll Stand By You” by the Pretenders.

Scorpia looked hesitantly towards Adora as the lyrics started to scroll, and Adora gave her a flurried gesture to indicate that Scorpia should take the lead, which the taller girl happily did.

_“Oh, why you look so sad? The tears are in your eyes come on and come to me now…”_

Scorpia sang at Catra, which Netossa had expected, because that’s just what Scorpia did.

Adora looked miserable. Netossa almost felt sorry for her.

Almost.

_“…Nothing you confess could make me love you less.”_

Adora finally joined in on the chorus, and with each word, her expression got a bit more determined, her voice a little stronger (though no closer to the right pitch).

_“I’ll stand by you. I’ll stand by you. Won’t let nobody hurt you. I’ll stand by you.”_

By the next verse, Adora had taken charge of the song, and Scorpia good-naturedly retreated to backup vocals.

_“So if you’re mad get mad. Don’t hold it all inside. Come on and talk to me now.”_

Adora somehow managed to look anywhere but Catra, but also to sing directly at her ex-girlfriend.

Catra was hunkered down in her seat, refusing to look at Adora but obviously paying rapt attention to the song.

_“…Baby even to your darkest hour, and I’ll never desert you. I’ll stand by you.”_

There was an awkward moment as the song ended in which everyone, Horde and Rebellion alike, stared at Adora (with the exception of Catra, who had chosen to pick fixedly at the damp label on her beer bottle instead).

Netossa decided to break the silence. “OK… onto the next! This one’s a solo… let’s have Catra to the stage!”

It took Catra a minute to pull herself away from the very important business of shredding her soggy beer label. Finally she stood and made her way to the stage, where she gripped a mic tightly and cleared her throat.

Her tense mood was broken as she saw the title of her song. She barked a laugh and spoke to Netossa through the mic. “Seriously?”

“Hey,” countered Netossa, waving a small slip of paper with no name written on it. “It’s all random – I didn’t do this; the universe did. Consider it karma.”

Karma, AKA Netossa, grinned, and a few people giggled as they turned to see what the song was. Catra rolled her eyes and launched into a hearty rendition of Meredith Brooks’ “Bitch.”

_“I hate the world today. You’re so good to me, I know, but I can’t change. Tried to tell you, but you look at me like maybe I’m an angel underneath – innocent and sweet.”_

Netossa raised an eyebrow as she caught Adora smiling gently over her vodka tonic.

_”I’m a bitch. I’m a lover. I’m a child. I’m a mother. I’m a sinner. I’m a saint. I do not feel ashamed…”_

Catra was fully invested in the song, now. She took the mic from its stand and worked the stage. Her audience, both Horde and Rebellion (all of whom were fairly soused on the free drinks by this point – Netossa tried not to think about how much money they must be hemorrhaging because of these kids right now) jammed along with her from their seats.

_“I’m your hell. I’m your dream. I’m nothing in between. You know you wouldn’t want it any other way. So take me as I am…”_

Collectively, the Tuesday night crowd joined in on the last chorus, changing the lyrics slightly through some kind of collective genius that Netossa could not appreciate more.

_“You’re a bitch! You’re a lover! You’re a child…”_

Adora didn’t sing along, and Catra took the whole thing surprisingly well, still laughing as she returned to her seat after the song ended.

“Alright, some cathartic stuff right there. How’s everybody doing?”

The crowd responded with a “Woooooo!” in impressive drunken harmony. This was more like the Tuesday night regulars – though they were still sitting in those damn, standoffish groups.

Netossa pulled a few more truly random groupings – nothing too memorable, apart from a rather disastrous rendition of “Total Eclipse of the Heart” from Mermista and Kyle. Kyle was terrified – of singing, generally, and of Mermista, specifically. The more he mumbled, the more annoyed looks Mermista shot him, which made him mumble more, which resulted in a predictably vicious cycle. Eventually Rogelio joined him onstage to help him sing “turn around.” Mermista gave the most uninspiring, deadpan performance of the song Netossa had ever heard.

After that catastrophe, Netossa returned to her pre-picked pairings.

“OK, you karaoke idiots – I need Catra and Bow onstage for another classic!”

She had Entrapta start the upbeat intro while the two were still on their way up from their seats. It was time for them to start singing by the time they reached the stage.

_“Clock strikes upon the hour, and the sun begins to fade. Still enough time to figure out how to chase my blues away.”_

After that, Bow let Catra take the difficult lead part (she sang it easily), while he started choreographing a dance to go with his backup vocals.

_“Oh I wanna dance with somebody. I wanna feel the heat with somebody. Yeah, I wanna dance with somebody – with somebody who loves me.”_

Soon the crowd was on its feet – still more or less keeping to their factions, but all laughing and dancing along with Bow. As Netossa had predicted, Catra couldn’t resist the energy in the room – she didn’t focus on the potential angst of the lyrics and got caught up instead in performing to the upbeat tempo and the happy expectation of her audience. She even started dancing with Bow, and eventually stepped down off the stage with him to keep singing and dancing in the midst of the (drunken) crowd.

_“I need a girl who’ll take a chance on a love that burns hot enough to last. So when the night falls my lonely heart calls.”_

Spinnerella joined Netossa at the booth around the time the key change kicked in. With a pointed look, she drew Netossa’s attention to the way Catra and Adora were catching each other’s eyes but pretending not to.

“Gay disasters both of them,” said Netossa, twirling her wife in towards her and beginning to dance, as well.

_“Don’t you wanna dance with me baby? Don’t you wanna dance with me girl? Don’t you wanna dance – say you wanna dance – with somebody who loves me?”_

The song ended, and Netossa took a moment to give her wife a kiss while the crowd settled down. “Alright,” she whispered to Spinnerella, “Moment of truth – here goes nothing.”

Netossa moved purposefully to her microphone. “Next up we have a duet with…” Netossa paused as she pretended to pull the names out of the jar, “She-Ra and Catra.”

The room went silent as both factions stopped what they were doing and stared at their respective leaders.

Catra moved first, leaping back onto the stage with all the dexterity of her karaoke namesake. She smirked as she rasped a challenge into her microphone. “I’m game, unless _Adora_ is too scared.”

She-Ra stomped up to the stage and grabbed the other microphone. “Let’s do this,” she said, with determination.

“What are you up to?” Spinnerella whispered. Suddenly she gasped with excitement, “Are you going to make them sing ‘I Will Always Love You’?”

Netossa gave her wife a withering look. “What am I, an amateur? Besides, we already did Whitney Houston.” She did a finger gun to Entrapta. “Hit it, E.”

Entrapta pressed a button, and the intro to Sinead O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” played.

“Oh, honey, you’re a genius.”

Catra and Adora looked uncertainly over at the DJ booth as the lyrics started to flash on the screen. Then Catra squared her shoulders, faced forward, and started singing.

_“It’s been seven hours and fifteen days since you took your love away. I go out every night and sleep all day since you took your love away from me.”_

Adora bowed her head hesitantly to her microphone and took the next lines, warbling painfully off-key as always.

_“Since you been gone I can do whatever I want. I can see whomever I choose. I can eat my dinner in a fancy restaurant, but nothing – I said nothing – can take away these blues.”_

They sang together on the chorus, both staring resolutely at the lyrics screen to avoid looking at each other.

_“‘Cause nothing compares… Nothing compares to you.”_

They traded lines in the next verse, sneaking meaningful glances at each other as they sang. Their friends sat transfixed. No one said a word and all the drinks were left untouched.

When they got to the instrumental break, Adora stepped away from her microphone and said something to Catra that Netossa couldn’t hear over the music. Catra moved away from her mic as well to reply.

By the time the break was over, both girls were sobbing into each others’ arms, and they didn’t even bother to come back in on the last verse and chorus because they were too busy furiously making out onstage in front of all their friends.

As the song wound down, Netossa interrupted and shooed them away, catching a mic stand that they bumped into as they staggered offstage still clinging to each other. “Watch it, these things are expensive! Okay, so that was eventful… and we only have one more song for tonight’s event. Everybody’s in on this one. Go wild, kids.” She gestured to Entrapta, and the whole room cheered as they heard the intro of the last song.

Netossa couldn’t help but grin as she stepped off the stage and the whole gaggle of drunk college students started singing in horrifying, unpitched unison:

_“Just a small-town boy… born and raised in south Detroit… caught the midnight train goin’ anywheeeeeeeeere.”_

Spinnerella came to meet her. “That was great, dear! Look at them – totally angst-free!”

She was right. Both factions had mingled again, and everyone was singing happily. Scorpia had scooped both Glimmer and Bow up in her arms; Mermista, Lonnie, Perfuma, and Kyle had all linked arms and were collectively swaying to the music; Sea Hawk and Rogelio leaned against each other as they belted out the familiar song; Entrapta danced happily in the booth with Emily; Catra and Adora gripped hands tightly and sang happily into each other’s faces.

Nobody seemed to care that they hadn’t announced a winner.

Netossa pulled Spinnerella in close as she surveyed the scene. “No way they could stay mad at each other with this much free booze and cheesy music. Totally worth it, even if I do have to listen to them ruin Queen.”

“I knew you could do it.”

Netossa pressed a kiss to her wife’s temple. “Not without you, I couldn’t have.” She surveyed the dancing, singing mass that was the Tuesday night crowd. “Do we even have any alcohol left behind the bar?”

Spinnerella nudged her. “Of course! Though we’re a bit low on mixers – these kids drank some of the weakest drinks I’ve ever made.”

They both laughed and held each other closer.

And thus did the Horde and the Rebellion put aside their differences, and balance was restored to Etheria.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Did I make a Spotify playlist for this fic?  
> No. Because I am lazy.


End file.
